Hazelwood Man Charged in Road Rage Death

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A Hazelwood man faces a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter in the February death of another motorist.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that 23-year-old Kirk Mueller was charged Friday in the death of 26-year-old Derek Cliffe of St. Peters.

Police said the chase happened after Mueller and two friends exchanged insults with Cliffe and a passenger while at a stoplight after leaving a St. Charles bar. Someone in Mueller's truck threw coins at Cliffe's car. Cliffe's friend, in turn, threw back a stick of deodorant.

Mueller followed Cliffe onto Interstate 70 from St. Charles into Maryland Heights. Police Chief Bill Carson said Mueller's truck crossed the center line of an expressway and hit Cliffe's car. His blood-alcohol level after the crash was more than twice the legal limit.